Naga Munchetty is leaving Breakfast after 17 years, answering the question Is Naga Munchetty leaving Breakfast with a move from the TV sofa to Radio 5 Live Breakfast from January. She will switch to the radio programme five days a week after presenting the TV show three days a week and 5 Live's mid-morning programme for another three days.
Munchetty said, “It's time for a new challenge.” She added: “Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up.” She also said the new role “will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I'm really looking forward to throwing myself into the role.”
Charlie Stayt on Breakfast
Munchetty has been one of the main hosts on One's Breakfast for the past 12 years and currently presents the TV show with Charlie Stayt from Thursdays to Saturdays. Her departure changes a long-running split schedule: three days on television now becomes five days on radio from January.
John McAndrew said Munchetty would be “hugely missed by the millions of viewers who've welcomed her into their homes each week.” He also said he was “very pleased that Naga will be staying with the and I wish her the best of luck at 5 Live.”
Radio 5 Live from January
The move keeps Munchetty within the while shifting her to a flagship radio slot. That means Breakfast will need a replacement on the TV programme, while 5 Live Breakfast will also get a new co-host to join Munchetty in the radio studio.
Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards have presented 5 Live Breakfast together for five years, and Burden said on Tuesday that she had decided it was time for a change after 15 years hosting the programme. She will move to Munchetty's Monday-to-Wednesday mid-morning slot on 5 Live, while Edwards will remain host of weekend sport quiz Fighting Talk.
Who will replace Munchetty on Breakfast and who will join her on 5 Live Breakfast has not yet been announced, so viewers and listeners know the shape of the change but not the final line-up. From January, the key shift is straightforward: Munchetty leaves the TV sofa and takes on a full five-day radio role.
